A homeless encampment that lies near the University of California, Berkeley is drawing scrutiny as students file into town for classes.

One student’s mother, station KGO reporter Lyanne Melendez, posted a stunning video of the encampment to the social media platform X and noted that it was situated just “behind” her son’s university apartment building.

Watch:

I just dropped my son off at @UCBerkeley housing and as we were approaching we saw this behind his apartments. Shame on @CityofBerkeley @CityofAlbanyCA @UCBerkeleyNews pic.twitter.com/sxyhkez5l4

— Lyanne Melendez (@LyanneMelendez) August 19, 2026

According to her employer, KGO, the encampment “has existed for years.

“Residents live in tents, vehicles and makeshift structures amid piles of belongings and trash that spill onto surrounding streets,” the station recently noted.

Part of the problem is that the encampment isn’t on official university grounds.

“The [encampment] is not on University property … and we have no jurisdiction or ability to address this issue. Please contact the City of Berkeley,” a university spokesperson told Fox News.

However, the encampment is close enough to the university that students encounter the homeless everyday.

“One of the normal things I go through every day is walking past three homeless people on my way to class,” Berkeley student John Paul Leon told Fox News. “It’s just a usual occurrence. It’s something I’ve gotten used to, but I’m sure it’s something that a lot of parents would not feel right about their children being subject to.”

This is the homeless encampment right outside UC Berkeley, CA.
This is what years of democrat stranglehold has done for the people of California! pic.twitter.com/leSREHcePF

— Leah Rain (@LeahRain77) August 22, 2026

Nearby business owners like Emily Winston, the founder and CEO of Boichik Bagels, have also been affected by the “Third World” conditions of the homeless encampments in the Berkeley area.

“There’s been feces found all over on various properties,” she told Fox News. “It’s been found on our property. I’ve had to clean it up personally before. Needles, very scary threats to staff that work in the different businesses here.”

“My staff had to beg someone to get out of our dumpster. They had actually gone in our dumpster and closed the lid on top of them. No one on my staff should be picking up human excrement from the sidewalk in front of our property or used needles. This is not what I built this business here to do,” she added.

The homeless also keep customers away.

“We have this awesome patio. We say, ‘Come get a bagel and watch our robots make bagels.’ It’s a fun family sort of event. And strangely enough, people don’t want to bring their kids around the corner from this because it’s pretty scary,” Winston explained.

Winston is one of several business owners who sued the city two years ago to demand that it do something about the homeless encampments in town.

ICYMI: A group of Berkeley businesses, including some prominent names in the food and drink industry, have filed a suit against the City of Berkeley over homeless encampments near them. https://t.co/NSG9F1cx7R

— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) September 16, 2024

“This neighborhood has so much potential. It could be so great if we could just clean this up,” Winston told the San Francisco Chronicle at the time. “People are afraid to come here, and I don’t blame them.”

The lawsuit noted that, because of the encampments, “there is reduced foot traffic, increased security concerns, and a decline in the overall aesthetic of the area, all of which have led to significant financial losses.”

The good news is that change may finally be here.

“The City of Berkeley posted public notices Tuesday warning that anything other than vehicles blocking streets and sidewalks around the encampment along several blocks of Harrison Street will be removed beginning September 8,” CBS News has confirmed.

As strange as it sounds, vehicles that the homeless are using as shelter will remain due to existing court orders. That said, everything else — tents, belongings, debris, and other objects that are blocking streets and sidewalks — will finally be removed.